Belonging
by edwardcullensvampiregirl
Summary: Renesmee and Jacob are all grown up now. What will happen? Renesmee often feels like an outsider in her own family. Her only comfort is her werewolf boyfriend who doesn't get it either. What will happen?
1. Permission

Renesmee and Jacob are BOTH grown up now, and who knows what will happen next?

RenPOV-

I looked back through all the photos of my childhood that were scattered across the floor. I had officially stopped aging at around 17 or so. Therefore I no longer had to take the daily photos to corroborate my life. I picked up a picture of me and dad in a warm embrace on my 7th "birthday". I miss those days sometimes; those days when I didn't have to worry about being responsible with my gift or with what I am. My gift often comes in handy these days though. Whenever I am so mad that I can't even open my mouth without screaming, I just have to touch my hand to someone's face and they know exactly how I am feeling. I know sometimes they wish they didn't; especially Auntie Rose, because I am most often times thinking about Jacob. She doesn't particularly care for him, however, she doesn't hate him anymore either.

I pick up the photos that are on the floor and I carefully put them back into the photo albums and sweep the albums up into my arms and carry them upstairs. I go down the hallway and turn to face the third door on my left. I gently knock and she says to come in. I open the closet door and set the books down carefully in their rightful place and return to the room.

"Aunt Alice, have I ever thank you for documenting every second of my life?"

"Yes sweetheart, you have."

"Well I am thanking you again anyways."

We both laughed and I gave her a huge hug. Then I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to go and meet Jacob so that we could hang out tonight. Aunt Alice must have felt my body go rigid because she seemed to know that I had forgotten something.

"Plans tonight?"

"Yes. And I'm late! He hates it when I am late. And you know how that boy overreacts."

"Go. And have fun sweetie. Make sure to tell your parents that you are leaving."

"Yes ma'am."

I ran down the stairs and snatched my cell phone on the way out the door. Mom and dad were hunting today somewhere near the house. I found a scent trail and followed it. When I reached the small brook near the highway I saw them.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Renesmee, what is it?" I think she could tell that I was nervous about something.

"Can I talk to you? Without dad?" I tacked on the last part because he had run up behind her and acted like he was going to go all "protective daddy" on me.

"Sure." We ran about a mile away where dad couldn't hear us and I asked her to put her shield up so that he wouldn't be able to hear my thoughts. I had been very careful when I ran up what I had kept my mind focused on.

"Renesmee quit fidgeting it is not attractive."

"Yes ma'am. I have something I wanted to ask you. And bear in mind that I asked you and not dad because I knew you would be more open minded about this."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I would like permission to spend the night down on the reservation… With Jacob." I saw the look on her face so I proceeded to explain.

"It's just that we have not spent much time together lately and I really miss him, and you know you can trust me not to do anything foolish or anything that I wouldn't want you knowing. So it's not that big of a deal."

"I trust you. And I give you my permission. I will take the fight with your father as long as you make me a promise not to do anything that would make me unwilling to let you do this. And I trust that you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean. And yes, I promise." At that moment mom let her shield down and I heard just what my father thought about my mother's giving me permission.

"WHAT!?" He bellowed. Mom chuckled and called loudly enough for him to hear.

"You heard me." Then she turned to me and said, "Go."

And with that I sauntered happily back to the house to grab the vanquish.


	2. Malice

When I pulled up in front of Jacob's house I lingered in the car. I was nearly 20 minuets late. He must be worried and also sort of angry. He must have been watching for me because I didn't have to sit in the car long before he came to the door and just stood there glaring at me. I slowly edged out of the car and walked to the door. I just made it past him when he slammed the door. Oops. He was mad. I turned around and looked into his eyes in time to see the worry there.

"Where have you been?! I have been waiting for you for 20 minuets. Do you have any idea how worried I was?" He was screaming at me like my dad did sometimes.

"I'm sorry. I got caught up in my own thoughts and I lost track of time. Then when I did realize what time it was I had to talk to my mom about something." I whimpered. His temper eased slightly when he saw that I truly was sorry.

"Listen, Nessie. You might not remember the big fight with the Volturi, but I do. I could have lost you and I never want to take that chance again."

"I remember perfectly well, thank you! You act like just because I was a baby that I didn't know what was happening. My memory is just as long as yours! I'm sorry I was late, but I'm not a baby anymore and I need you to be my love. Not my daddy. I already have one of those who is as overly protective as you are."

"You're right. I'm sorry for yelling at you." And with that he took me in his arms and kissed me.

"Guess what!" I told him.

"What?"

"Mom said that I could spend the night."

"Nessie! I can't believe that you asked her that! She is going to think that I told you to ask so that we could be alone."

"No. She said she trusts me. Dad wasn't too happy, but mom was fine and that is all that matters."

After I got my bag out of the car I went and put on some pajamas that mom bought me from Victoria's Secret. When Jacob saw me he held his arms out and I went and sat in his lap. We watched a little TV then we made out a little. Nothing of consequence. Then, I got the most brilliant idea. I started baiting him and getting more and more sensual with each brush of our lips. I started teasing his lips and finally I brushed my tongue across his lips, asking for entrance. He eagerly gave it. Finally I decided to try and get what I

wanted. The next time he leaned in to kiss me, I put my hand to his face. I showed him just what I wanted. He laughed.

"You are more like your mother than you care to admit."

"What do you mean?"

"Always wanting to crawl into bed with monsters."

"Shut up." I laughed.

Just then I heard a distant howl from the woods. Jacob jumped up and started shedding his clothes. It's not like I had never seen him naked before, but this time was different. I was mature enough to know that I wanted him. Then just as it was getting good, his body shook, and the wolf ripped out of him. He yelped to me and I hopped lithely onto his back and he started running through the forest to go and meet his wolf buddies.

When we got there it felt like we were almost dead last. But, Paul proved us wrong by bounding into the clearing about 15 seconds later. I touched my hand to Jacob's shoulder and he snorted out a laugh. Deep in Paul's chest came a grumble that sounded like a 'sue me'. I laughed out loud. Then I felt the atmosphere get serious. After a few minuets of silent conversation, the hackles on Jake's neck stood up and a snarl ripped through his chest. My body automatically went rigid. Jake turned and we left not long after that. When we got back Jacob phased back and got dressed in silence. I heard him mumble something to himself and caution a glance at me.

"Jake! What is going on?"

"There have been killings going on lately that have really started to add up. And we think it is the Volturi."

"What makes you think it's them?" I was shocked to find that my voice was quivering.

"Well, the number of attacks, and also the malice in them. It wasn't ever just one bite, it was hundreds of them, all left to sit there and burn through the human's veins until they were almost changed and then they were drained completely. Malice."

"Oh. I see."

"Needless to say, I think it is time to cut our evening short and go and talk to Bella and Edward."

With that we were in the car and speeding down the highway. When I turned off the car and I waited until Jacob had made it to my side to open the door for me. When I got out, Jacob swept me up in his arms and carried me into the house. When we walked in, mom and dad were on separate ends of the couch not speaking or touching. Obviously fighting over whole spending the night with Jacob thing. Finally, Jacob set me on the ground and took my hand in his. My parents were both looking at me with concern in their eyes.

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something."

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A/N:

_**Okay, so how are you guys liking it? **_

_**I love reviews and I also love any alert adds.**_

_**And I want you all to know that the chapters will get longer I swear.**_

_**I will keep adding onto my word count until I avarage around 2000 to 2500 words.**_

_**with love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl  
**_


	3. Packing

"What is it baby?" My mom. Always so caring.

"Ummmm, Houston, we have a MAJOR problem." When the thought passed through my head, I heard my dad snarl and mutter under his breath. After that I heard my mom gasp and throw a worried look my way.

"Okay Edward, what do we do? Can we move her? Who would we send with her? Obviously they're here for_ **her**_." My mom had a worried quiver in her crystal-bell voice.

"I don't know Bella. Where would we take her to? Jacob obviously has to go with her, but I don't trust them alone."

"So send Rose and Em. Emmet is the strongest, and Rose will protect her at all cost."

"Good." He turned to me.

"Renesmee, go pack and plan on being gone for awhile."

"Yes sir." I turned and ran up the stairs at full half-vampire speed. I was throwing things into bags and running around the room frantically throwing things out onto the bed. I was just about to lose it when I felt a warm pair of hands helping me pack. I sighed in relief to have my Jacob standing there next to me. He turned to me and he wrapped his arms around me and said that everything was going to be okay. I just put my head on his shoulder and let him see how I was feeling. He patted my shoulder and cooed sweet-nothings in my ear.

"Get packing and stop wasting time being enamored of him!" _Dad you can be sooooo annoying!_

Once I was finished packing, we got into the cars. By cars, I mean me and Jacob in my Vanquish and Auntie Rose and Uncle Em in the Jeep. Auntie Rose said that she couldn't ride in a car with Jake for any length of time. So we blindly followed the Jeep to God knows where. The car ride lasted several hours and was super dreary. Partially because Jake was so worried and tense. We didn't talk or touch. All in all, very dreary. When we pulled up to a small house in Jacksonville, Florida, I knew exactly where we were. Renee's house! I slammed the car into park and I ran through the door like I owned the place. I found her in the kitchen and I leaped into her arms and kissed her on the cheek.

"Renee! I missed you!"

"Hey Nessie! I was so glad when your mom called me and said that you all would be coming. She did say that the circumstances were not that great though. But, I don't care. You're here and that's all that matters."

Just then, everyone else filed into the kitchen to give their hellos and Jacob and I were off to library to be alone. I knew that the library was sort of a strange place to be alone. But I love it because it is quiet, cozy, and there were thousands of books. And Jake loves it because I do. He is amazing. We spent several hours at the library and when we tired of it, we left for Renee's house. Once we got there Renee started with the Spanish Inquisition on Jacob. I was extremely proud of him for taking it like a man but I was so embarrassed. Finally, I decided to put a stop to it.

"Who is hungry?" Jake jumped up happily and followed me to the kitchen to help me cook. I had inherited my mother's cooking gene. I would need to hunt soon though, because I could only live on human food for so long. I laughed when Auntie Rose and Uncle Em left to hunt because hunting was still an awkward subject with Renee. Grandpa Charlie on the other hand was finally totally comfortable with it. For dinner I made Beef Stroganoff and a side of broccoli.

"Nessie, you cook just like your mother."

"Thanks Renee."

Jake just said 'mmmm'. That boy just makes me smile. I love him. Then I found myself gazing lovingly into his eyes. I think Renee could tell that we were having sort of an intimate moment because she quietly excused herself. He just smiled at me and I touched his hand from across the table and showed him how I felt. He put his mouth to my hand and left a trail of kisses up my arm.

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_**Hey guys, this chapter is soooo short. **_

_**I apologize for this, but that was the chapter's natural end.**_

_**I am writing more.**_

_**Reviews make me super happy!**_

_**with love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl  
**_


	4. Welcome and UNWELCOME Visitors

_**A/N: If something is italicized (tilted sideways), it signifies a thought, possibly for Edward to hear. **_

_**But sometimes I will make a random thought italicized.**_

* * *

A few weeks later we get a call at Renee's house from mom and dad. I was absolutely bewildered. They weren't supposed to call because it could jeopardize our location. I answered reluctantly and I heard my dad's voice on the other side of the phone.

"You can come home now. We will see you in a few hours." He hung up.

"Dad?" Nothing.

"Auntie Rose, Uncle Em, Jake?" They all came running in that second.

"Pack your bag. Dad just called and said to come home."

"Are you certain that it was your father?"

"150 percent sure."

"What else did he say?" Auntie Rose asked.

"Nothing." The word poured out of my mouth and it sounded dead to me. Apparently I wasn't the only one because Jacob came over and put his hands on either side of my face and forced me to look into his eyes. I could tell that he was horrified by what he saw there. I knew perfectly well what he saw there. Emptiness. In my mind this was the surrender. If the Volturi were the ones responsible for the killings, then I was going home not to a happy family, but to a tense meeting with them for something that was not going to end well.

On the drive home Jacob repeatedly asked me if I was alright. I continuously answered the same way. I'm fine, Jacob. But in all reality, I was not fine. I was dying. Then, a brilliant idea hit me like a freight train. Zafrina. I quickly asked Jake for his phone and he reluctantly slipped it into my awaiting palm. I quickly dialed her number, as she had recently purchased a cell phone. When she answered, I was quick to let her know who it was.

"It's me." All I had to do was utter the first syllable and she knew who it was.

"Start running," I told her.

"Meet me in Washington. You might beat me there."

"I will see you soon Nessie."

"Bye." I was very careful to be brief so that Jacob didn't know who I had been talking to. Zafrina had been my best friend since I was a baby, and aside from Jake and my family, she was number one fan and protector. I knew I could always call her when I needed her, and so I decided that I finally needed her enough.

We pulled up in the driveway and Zafrina was practically fidgeting with excitement. Before the car was even stopped I threw the door open and ran to Zafrina hugging her neck and wrapping my legs around her waist like a child. She just smiled and laughed with me and we talked for a bit while Jake unloaded the bags from the car. When the time came to go inside, she got down to business.

"Nessie, why did you call me here? What's happened?"

"There seems to be another Volturi issue. I don't know all the facts because I have been gone, but we think they are after me again. And I have been super stressed and I needed someone's help. And so, I made the most obvious choice and called you." At the Volturi's name she snarled and a guttural came from her chest and ripped it's way out of her throat.

"What could they possibly want?!" Zafrina screeched.

"We don't know. Maybe just to check in or maybe to find something to condemn us again."

She turned on her heel and stalked inside and announced her own arrival. After everyone had greeted her and she had been re-introduced to Jacob they began debriefing all of us on what had been going on. It had been the Volturi; they were on the way to Canada to deal with a few problem children and had decided to drop by to see us. They called it 'just checking in', but we knew what it really was.

We all knew that they were after me again, and it was terrifying. As my thoughts raced by breathing became heavy and I began to hyperventilate in a sense. Jacob was there in an instant with Zafrina at his side comforting me.

"It's all going to be okay sweetheart. I promise; nothing will ever hurt you" He whispered.

"No one will even get near you, dear one." Zafrina, she is definitely my best friend. There is not even a comparison. I looked up solemnly into Jake's eyes.

"I love you Jake."

"I love you too Nessie."

I heard a small noise and I turned around to see Auntie Rose had just faked a gag. Jake and I just laughed and we continued looking at each other with that love-sick feeling until we heard a groan from behind us. It was Uncle Jasper.

"Will you two please stop it!?"

We immediately stepped away from each other and focused our minds on something else. My dad smiled and had a smug smile across his face. _Thanks dad. _I thought. He just laughed under his breath and my mom made a face at him. I looked around and saw that Carlisle had exited the room and I silently wondered to myself where he had gone. Probably to his study to be alone to think. We all certainly had enough to think about. Zafrina looked at me and decided that I needed something to keep me busy, so we went hunting. Jake stayed behind to talk with my mom and dad so that Zaf and I could be alone.

Once we had made it to where were going to be hunting, she looked at me and smiled.

"That boy sure does love you. I got a chance to talk with him and just the way he talked about you and how protective he was, it just seeped devotion to you."

"I know. I lucked out. I really did. I found my soul mate at birth; how many people can say that?"

"Not many. But young one, you need to be careful. I know that it is more appropriate for you to be having this chat with your mother but still I worry."  
I just laughed.

"Zaf, me mom and dad have been having this talk since I hit puberty and started noticing how cute Jacob was."

"Oh. Well that lifts a burden off of my shoulders."

"Besides, we have never done anything but make out."

"And it better stay that way, young lady." She said in a mocking maternal tone. We laughed again and as the night faded into the dawn of morning, we hunted.

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_**A/N:**_

_**Okay, so how are we liking it?**_

_**Reviews make me happy!**_

_**And also, how did you like the visitor that I picked?**_

_**I thought it was cool.**_

_**But anyway, I will update as soon as I can.**_

_**With love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl**_


	5. A Sour End To A Perfect Poker Game

A few days later we were in the house playing poker to keep us busy. Dad and Aunt Alice were forbidden to play because they had an unfair advantage. Uncle Em was dealing and I was winning. Once he laid down the flop I smiled. I had a flush. When it came time to show the cards, Uncle Em let out a string of profanities. Jake and I smiled at each other smugly. He loves it when I win, even if he's losing. Uncle Em threw the deck of cards down and stormed up the stairs. A few minuets of silence later, Jake's phone rang. I could hear both ends of the conversation because of my excellent hearing.

"Hey Jake."

"What's up Seth?"

"I'm going to swing by the Cullen's today if they don't mind. I want to hang out with my best buddy."

"I am flattered Seth." Jake laughed.

"Oh, I was talking about Nessie. But you're cool too Jake." Seth said trying to get his foot out of his mouth.

"Sure. Sure" Jake said sarcastically. "You can go ahead and come by" He said looking at me. I nodded my head at him. I loved hanging out with Seth. Just then, Seth burst through the door with his arms open wide. I squealed excitedly then I ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Dork" Seth muttered under his breath.

"I heard that" I said punching his arm. He just laughed and sat down on the floor with us.

"So what has been up in the pack since we've been gone" I asked happily.

"Not much. Paul and Rachel set the date" he said looking at Jacob.

"Awesome" I silently wondered when that would happen for me and Jake. Not any time soon probably. I had never told Jake anything about it because I want him to do it because he wants to. Not because I want him to. That boy would give me the moon if I wanted it. Ha-ha, I guess it's a good thing I don't. We were bored, and so Zaf took me aside and we worked with my gift a little. Dad sat there watching us, amused. We started off with using my gift through touching, which I already knew how to do. That was just a warm up. Every time I successfully showed her what I was thinking she moved a little farther away. I couldn't concentrate the thought to just her though. Dad could feel it too. He gave me confused and disturbed look. Crap. The next time I pushed a thought, it was a "brushing it off" kind of thing. Dad didn't need to know how I was feeling about the whole Jake proposing thing. I know that he wants marry me, but I would prefer it to be sooner, rather than later. Note to self: DO NOT leave Dad and Jake alone together. Dad would kill him. With weddings, come the responsibilities of the honeymoon sex. And every other kind of sex that comes after that. Jake wants to wait until we get married so that my dad might not kill him. I told him it was ridiculous to be afraid of my dad, but he said that there was more that went on to make Jake a little wary of him. A sudden snarl pulled me out of my endless sea of thoughts. It was my dad, he hissed something to my mom that went by unheard by me. My mom gaped at me in horror.

"Edward, do we have enough time to-"

"No."

"Can we-"

"No."

"Why can't we just try?"

"No! Damn it Bella! There is no time. Much like there was no time when James, Victoria and Laurent came to the clearing, there is not time to get her out!" I stared open-mouthed at my dad. He never talked to mom that way.

"Well what do they want?" Esme's quiet voice asked cautiously."

Aunt Alice appeared at the top of the stairs in an answer to Esme's question.

"What they wanted when they came before. They are just becoming more determined now." Just then a sickening smell wafted through the open back door.

It was a smell that I can only describe by saying menacingly sweet. It was much like our scent but distinctly different somehow. Their sent smelled more edgy and potent. Jake and Seth took a few steps away from me and phased quickly. Their clothes turning to shreds as the huge wolves ripped through them. They edged closer to me forming an almost protective barrier line. I grabbed Jake's huge shoulder and he looked at me knowingly, seeing the fear etched into my eyes.

When the knock on the doorframe came, and I heard Aro's musical voice, I shuddered, and I saw the hackles on the wolves' necks stand up.

"Knock knock." Aro's head snaked around the doorframe.

"Welcome Aro." Carlisle's warm greeting sounded fake, even to me.

"What brings you this far from home?" Aro skillfully evaded Carlisle's question.

"Renesmee! Could that possibly be the astounding child I met nearly twenty years ago?" I remembered that day distinctly.

"Yes, I suppose it can." I replied formally.

"My! Edward, she's so like you." He said looking me over, and making me feel uncomfortable. My mom must have noticed because she came over and took my hand.

"What brings you back so soon, Aro?" Carlisle asked again.

"Well, I must be honest with you, I was hoping that Renesmee had returned from her trip." My heart stopped beating in my chest. It felt like a rock was embedded there. What did he want with me? Jake's chest rumbled with a soft warning growl.

Aro politely ignored Jacob's rudeness and continued on.

"I was wondering if you would mind terribly allowing Renesmee to come and visit Volterra. You see, Caius and Marcus are just dying to see how she's turned out." I looked at my dad and thought: what do we to?

"I don't know." My dad replied aloud to answer both my question and Aro's.

"Nessie is still young, and I don't know if her mother would stand for her being that far away." My mom picked up on where he was going and jumped in.

"Absolutely not. She is physically only 17 and only 20 in actual age. I most certainly do not feel comfortable with that."

"Not to mention, she starts her junior year of high school Monday." Auntie Rose added. Crap. I totally forgot about school. It is so redundant. I have learned all of that already.

"Well, I suppose this does pose a problem." Aro said, taking a moment to ponder. "Perhaps I could bring my brothers here, if that's not an imposition."

"Not at all." Carlisle replied. I could have been staring open-mouthed for all I know. My body had gone numb and stone still. I only recovered when Jake's warm body nudged mine. I came to life, hatching plans as fast as my mind could make them. The one I kept coming back to was staying on the Reservation with Jake and Billy, and starting school there. I calmly interrupted.

"I actually go to school on the Reservation so that my boyfriend can keep an eye on me." Aro gave a disapproving look. I didn't know what he was disapproving of. Was it the mention of boyfriend, or was it the fact that I had an excuse to get away from him?

"Breaking rules again I see, Edward?" Aro asked raising his brows.

"Not in the slightest, Aro. Her boyfriend is not human."

"Oh?"

"Not human." Dad repeated.

Aunt Alice slipped upstairs and quickly packed a suitcase for me and grabbed some clothes for Jacob and Seth. She came down the stairs and handed everything to me.

"Now, young lady, you be sure to report straight to Emily's. Got it?"

"Got it." I replied.

"Now go on. School tomorrow." Aunt Alice said leaving me with a kiss on the cheek.

Jake practically shoved me out the door with his huge muzzle, and Seth followed close behind.

I turned around and faced the house so that they could phase and dressed.

"Okay." Seth said. Letting me know it was safe to turn around. Jacob came over and wrapped his arms around me and I melted into his arms. Then, I broke down. I was sobbing into his chest and leaving tear stains on his shirt.

"It's okay Nessie. It's okay honey. He won't hurt you." Jake kept repeating in my ear.

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**_Okay, sorry it has been 2 months since I updated. I have been extremely busy and I haven't had alot of creative time. _**

**_It sucks so bad. _**

**_But, I am back and better than ever. _**

**_Lemme know what you think of it._**

**_I am wondering if I should continue with this story._**

**_with love,_**

edwardcullens_vampiregirl


	6. Marshmallow

"How do you know?" I whispered in Jacob's ear.

"Because you will have your whole family protecting you. And I will do whatever it takes to protect you as well, Sam's pack will even help out; whatever it takes." At this point it sounded like Jacob was talking to himself just as much as he was talking to me. We walked slowly to the garage and crammed my bags into the Vanquish. I asked Jacob to drive because I was about to shut down. As Jacob started speeding down the winding highway I felt my face go blank as a million thoughts went speeding through my head. What do the Volturi want? I have stopped aging; I fit in at school even better than mom and dad. So, I am not an exposure risk. Maybe they want me to join them? I shuddered; I could practically see myself in a hooded robe at Aro's side, surrounded by menacing, ruby colored eyes, and the smell of human blood. And even though my eyes are green, I could see my own menacing set of eyes, the picture was so clear, that I could have been staring into a mirror; a mirror of nightmares and tragedies. We pulled up to Emily's house and I got out of the car slowly. Emily came out to the car and grabbed all my bags and Sam came to my door to pick me up.

"I've got her Sam." Jake said roughly.

"Jake, you have got to get some sleep, you look dead." Sam replied with that serene, passive voice of his.

"I've got her Sam." Jake repeated through gritted teeth. Sam backed away calmly and let Jake get me out. Next thing I knew, I was in Emily's house, laying on the guest bedroom bed. Jake kissed my forehead and started to walk away but I was gripping the front of his shirt.

"It's okay Ness. I'll be right back." He whispered to me, as he tried prying my hands from his shirt. I didn't try to hold onto him, but I wanted him to stay with me; I really didn't want to be alone right now. The lonely depths of darkness were terrifying, for all I knew Aro could be outside of that window.

Jake got up and disappeared through the doorway.

I woke up the next morning to the smell of Emily's wonderful cooking, some of the best human food I have ever eaten. I got out of bed and quickly slipped into my school clothes. Note to self: don't ever let Alice pack your bags for you. I looked in the mirror and shied away from my reflection. I was wearing a super-short mini skirt and a pair of black leggings. My shirt was a blue plaid empire-waist shirt that hugged my curves perfectly. In my bag, I found a pair of cute black ballet flats and a black ribbon for my perfect curls. I threw my hair up into a neat ponytail and tied the ribbon securely around it, slipping on my ballet flats. After I was ready, I slipped out the bedroom door and into the kitchen.

"Good morning Nessie!" Emily greeted me cheerfully.

"Morning" I replied, grabbing some breakfast, downing it quickly.

"Where is Jake?" I asked. "We are going to be late."

"He said he would meet you at the school hun. He had to deal with a few wolf things this morning."

"Oh" I replied dejectedly. Today was going to be the perfect day. I was going to spend all day learning things I already knew, without even the distraction of my Jacob. In a foul mood anyway, I snatched my keys off of the counter and my backpack off of the floor and stormed out to the car. I was early enough that parking was not a major chore, but it was strange having all these people looking at me. _It's just the car Renesmee. _I picked up my backpack and opened the door, sliding out of the car. As I walked toward the school building, I could feel the probing stares. They were all thinking: _Who is that? When did she get here? _Just then, I heard the purr of my dad's Volvo and I looked up just in time to see Mom, Dad, Alice, and Emmett all getting out of the car; Jacob followed closely behind them. Maybe today would be decent. I stopped walking just long enough for them to catch up; I had a few things to say to Alice.

I was happy when it came time for English, the one class I never got tired of. I found out that Jake was in all of my classes. Mom was in English and Spanish with me and Dad and I had Chemistry together. Alice and Emmett were pretending to be Juniors while all the rest of us were playing Sophomores. The curriculum for English seemed pretty straightforward. Jake and I headed to Chemistry and grabbed ourselves a seat next to Dad. There was one empty seat left at our lab table and no one had been brave enough to snag it yet. Finally, a guy walked up and asked Dad if the seat was taken. My Dad replied no and the boy sat down.

"So, are you guys twins?" The guy asked me and Dad. We both busted out laughing and replied, "Something like that." We cracked up again and the boy introduced himself around the table as Zach. He seemed to take extra time introducing himself to me. I'm sure Jake was thrilled about that. Class began and the teacher, just like the other 6 teachers, droned on about the curriculum. Once class was dismissed, we all got up and floated out of the room. Next was lunch. I was the only one besides Jake who ate lunch, but they all pretended anyway. So, once we got to the table, Dad decided to talk about our brave little Chemistry buddy.

"Renesmee, I swear, I am about to start homeschooling you."

"Why?"

"Because if all the boys in this school thinking about you isn't enough, you have your own Mike Newton!" I had no idea what that meant, but Mom practically spit out her fake bite of pizza.

"Edward, you can't be serious. Mike Newton?" Dad just nodded.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, obviously confused. Jake was wearing the same confused look as me, but one word from my Mom was all it took for Jake to start laughing. I was still confused though, because all Mom said was "Marshmallow."

* * *

_**Hey guys! I think I am back!**_

_**School started so my schedule is pretty clear, so life is good.**_

_**It is leaving me more time for my writing. **_

_**I hope to start working on the next chapter and have it up by Friday or Saturday.**_

_**What do you guys think so far??**_

_**I loved doing the Marshmallow part because that was one of my favorite parts of New Moon.**_

_**If you don't get the Marshmallow part,**_

_**It is the part when Mike starts throwing up at the movies and Jake called him a Marshmallow.**_

_**I think that you should leave me some reviews.**_

_**With love,**_

_**edwardcullensvampiregirl  
**_


	7. The Unexpected

After school let out and the final bell rang, we stood around the parking lot talking. I saw my "Mike Newton" and I tried to duck behind my dad so that he wouldn't see me. But that didn't stop him from coming over to us.

"Hey guys. I'm Zach." He said timidly, introducing himself again. I think Emmett intimidated him. I smiled inwardly, now that I understood the whole Mike Newton thing it was really pretty funny.

"Hey Renesmee," he said totally fumbling through my name. "Did we have anything that Mr. James wanted us to do?"

"Not that I know of." I said looking at Dad. He just shook his head and I could tell that he was laughing at me.

"Oh. Well thanks. I gotta go, work, you know?"

"See you tomorrow Zach." I said, rolling my eyes as he walked away. I had already started with the admirer that I didn't want. I could already tell it was going to be a long year. When we were walking to the car, Jacob was rattling on and on about how Zach must've been delusional. I just laughed, because jealousy looked good on Jake.

Mom and Dad stayed on the Rez with me and Jake while Alice and Emmett went home. We all went back to Emily's house and debated the dilemma of sleeping situation. Jake and I were the only ones that needed sleep, but since Mom and Dad were there, we couldn't sleep in the same bed, no matter how pure our intentions were.

"No." Mom and Dad said in unison.

"Why not?" I whined, sounding much like a two year old.

"Because your mother can stay with you and Jacob can sleep on the couch."

"Yes, because I really want to be ice cold all night long. At least Jacob is warm." I retorted, glaring at my mother.

My mom froze; I knew my words would hurt her, but I just thought they were being ridiculous.

"Look, I'm sorry, but it is stupid to be fighting about this. You two don't sleep, Jake and I do. You two are cold, Jake and I are warm. I don't want to sleep with an ice cube staring at me all night long. Sorry Mom, but it is the truth."

"Renesmee, I want to talk to you outside. Now." My dad had that look in his eyes that said: you're in trouble.

"No." I said, the defiance creeping into my demeanor and jutting my chin in the air. Needless to say, I was feeling extremely brave. My dad didn't take too kindly to that because he stormed over to me, grabbed me by the elbow, and proceeded to drag me gently out the door. Once we were out of hearing range, he began to let out a string of profanities.

"I knew this would be a bad idea from the start. You want him so badly that you are willing to hurt your mother to get him. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, I will not have you disrespect her like that again. You know that she has always regretted not being able to be a proper mother to you. But she did a damn good job with the hand she was dealt. She might not have been able to put you to bed at night because she was too cold for you to fall asleep on, but she was always there. You are being an ungrateful little girl, a child and true to that nature. You have never acted this way." Once he was finished with his monologue, I sighed.

"I know Dad. I just want to be able to sleep in the same bed as the love of my life. I know it is not exactly what you want, but I want it. It's not like we are having sex, and so it shouldn't be an issue." He exhaled an unnecessary breath and looked at me, pulling me into an embrace. He kissed my forehead and did the fatherly thing.

"No." He whispered.

I pulled away from him and stormed back into the house, not caring to fight the issue any further. Later that night when a cool body pressed against my back, I tried to ignore them. "Renesmee, talk to me baby." My mom's gentle voice almost made me forget my anger.

"No." I stated very calmly.

I sat up and pulled on a pair of Jake's sweats and trudged out into the living room. I look around for Jacob and instead I found my dad.

"Where is Jake?"

"He is dealing with pack stuff." He didn't even let me know he was leaving. He always comes and says when he is leaving and when he will be back.

"Where are you going Nessie?" My dad asked.

"No where that you need to know about." I retorted, rudely.

With that I ran out the front door slamming it behind me. I didn't know where Sam and Emily were and I really couldn't care. I will apologize to them later for almost knocking their door off of its hinges.

I ran all the way to a secluded part if the forest that I didn't really recognize. I think I was still in LaPush territory though, because I could still hear the faint echo of the ocean waves far off in the distance. I plopped down on the soft ground and let my thoughts flow freely, since no one was around to hear them.

Jake didn't even tell me that he was leaving. I know that I couldn't have gone with him, but it would be nice to get invited to do something with the pack once in a while. Emily, Kim, and Claire get to go all the time. I guess it's because Jacob was technically "sleeping with the enemy". I had never really fit into the pack, especially with Leah. Seth was the only one who didn't really treat me any different, with the exception of Emily. Seth was just my friend and to Emily, I was just a normal person. I was just another imprint. I would sit at the big bonfire parties and lean into Jacob and listen, but about halfway through, I would start looking around and I would often come home, sad and dejected from what I had seen. I saw Quileute running undiluted in most of their veins. I saw russet toned skin and dark brown eyes. I saw jet-black hair that was free and flowing, perfectly straight. But, when I looked at my own pallid reflection, I saw pale white skin that was as hard as granite, eyes the color of chocolate, and hair that was in perfect curls and as bronze as my Father's. I realized that I would never fit into the pack. I would never fit into the Quileute mold. I would always be an outsider. I wondered if that would eventually cause Jake to become an outsider in his own pack as well. He is the natural born leader of his tribe, what would happen if he married me? Not all of his people know the legends.

The more I pondered the thought, the more I realized that I didn't fit in anywhere. I didn't fit into the human world, the vampire world, or the whole pack life. I didn't belong.

I walked back, at human speed, to the house. It took me 3 hours and enough tears to fill the ocean. I slipped in through the window and cleared my head of all thoughts so that my nosy dad didn't hear what I was thinking. I slipped into my school clothes; it was already time for that mess, and slid out the door. I would walk to school.

Once I was on campus, I wiped the rest of the tears from my eyes, and put on a blank face. As I walked to English, I found myself nervous that Jacob and my mother would be in there. I had almost persuaded myself to skip, when the bell rang. I was later than I thought. That would mean that most of the seats had already been taken, and there was only a slight chance that I would have to face them. I walked in, and the seats around them were already taken. I thankfully took an open seat all the way across the room.

I couldn't avoid them in Chemistry though, because our lab tables were assigned. So when I walked in it was natural that I got "the look" from them. I did my best to look like I was focusing in class and ignored them to the best of my ability. I think Zach knew better than to bother me, because he never uttered a word. As soon as Chemistry was over I swept from the room. I made it halfway down the hall when someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Jake's worried expression.

"What is going on Nessie?"

"Nothing, Jake. Now let go. I am going to be late." I said, with no inflection coloring my tone and no expression flickering across my face. But when Jake didn't let go, I began to panic. I wasn't ready to deal with this yet. "Let go of me, Jake!" I screamed. Several people stopped and stared, and Jacob silently dropped my arm. I turned and walked away, before it was too late, and I let all my feelings loose. I silently thanked God that Jake was not in P.E. with me; the **_only_** class that I didn't have Jacob or family in, and I was grateful.

When P.E. was over and I slipped back into regular clothes before heading off to Calculus. I tried running late again but that didn't really work. I got the seat right beside Jacob. It was hard but, I didn't even look at him when I sat down. He didn't try to talk to me, but I could feel his questioning stares. Halfway through Calculus, I got up and walked out. I couldn't take him staring at me with those probing, beautiful eyes anymore. I walked down the hallway and I didn't even make it out the door before I broke down, completely forgetting I was in the school hallway. I slid to the floor, pulled my knees up to my chest, and cried. When the bell rang again, I got up and ran out the doors as fast as I could and I ran all the way to the meadow where my dad always used to take my mom. Jake didn't know about this place as far as I knew, and no one would expect me to be here. So it works out perfectly. I lied down in the wildflowers and looked up at the clouded sky. In a way I felt similar to the clouds. The clouds were covering up the sun and blocking its full potential. Wasn't that what I was doing to Jacob? Being his clouds? I felt like I had sat there for a long time when I began to doze off. No sleep could do that to a hybrid. I woke up several hours later to my phone ringing. I looked at the caller ID and it was Jacob. I answered just long enough to say what he needed to hear.

"I'm fine, Jacob." I said hanging up.

I sat up and a strange scent crossed my nose. I looked around the clearing and I saw Aro. Deep in my heart I panicked. In reality though, I was curious as to why he was here.

"Hello, Renesmee." He said quietly, crossing the field. He kept coming until he was standing about 5 feet from me and sat on the ground, cross-legged, just looking at me. I wasn't afraid of him right now, I was worried, but not afraid.

He seemed oddly friendly, which is not what I am used to coming from him. I am used to the falsified friendship and all the fake pretenses.

"What's wrong young one?" He asked me sympathetically.

* * *

_**Well?**_

_**What do you think?**_

_**I kind of liked her unexpected friend.**_

_**Hooray for my longest chapter!!!!  
**_

_**I am going to try to get the next chapter out quickly. **_

_**If you review and I have a piece of the next chapter written, I will send you a preview.**_

_**Reviews make me happy and they motivate me. So if anyone is actually reading this story, you should review.**_

_**with love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl**_


	8. The Truth Finally Comes Out

I looked deep into Aro's eyes and he looked sincere. I contemplated lying to him for a moment but instead, I blurted out the whole truth; the thoughts passing through my head, the places I had gone, the emotions that I felt, all of it. I hadn't realized that my head was in Aro's lap and I felt like a child again, crying to her "big brother". When I looked into his eyes, I saw tears there that would never be shed. What was with his sudden affinity to me? His hand was brushing my hair away from my face so that my tears wouldn't ruin my perfect curls. His hand was slender and his long fingers spoke of elegance, and breathed unspeakable cruelty, but now they just made me feel better. His neatly manicured fingernails hadn't grown since he had been changed, and neither had his perfect hair. I knew that, because he was touching me, he could read every thought that passed through my head as I thought it, but that made it all easier; not needing to speak. The silence was comfortable and his presence made me feel safe as opposed to afraid, the way I felt so many years ago. I could never begin to tell you how long we sat in the meadow, just talking and him listening to every detail I could remember about Jake and I. He saw all the family memories and all of the funny moments I could recall. Every kiss and touch was there flowing freely from my head. Then, the thoughts when I started feeling like I didn't belong. In all reality, even without my knowledge, I was subconsciously trying to see where I fit into Jake's life a long, long time ago. Also trying to find my place in my family's life. I was always the weak link in the chain, being half human and half vampire. I had never understood why I had been treated any differently, but then I realized it was because I was weaker than everyone else.

"Renesmee, I know that your feelings are hurt, but I don't think he, or your family, intended to hurt you."

"He didn't even know what was wrong with me. What kind of a boyfriend does not know that?"

"I know, but I'm sure he cares."

"Does he really?" I asked lifting my head.

"I'm sure he does. He would be an idiot not to." He said.

"Renesmee, you should probably be getting back."

"You're right. They will be sending out the search parties soon" I said laughing.

I got up and started to run off, and stopped. I looked over my shoulder and whispered a "thank you" that I knew he would still be able to hear.

I swear I thought I saw a smile grace his wise lips as I ran away.

As I ran up to the house I felt the dread building inside of me. I'm still not ready for this; I don't need to hurt Jacob by letting him know how his culture affected me. Could I hide it? Pretend like everything is okay and just get on with it all? I had to try at least. I stepped onto the steps and the door flung open and Jacob threw his arms around me.

"Nessie, where have you been sweetheart? I have been worried sick." And as he said it I could see that it was true. His temples had turned grey with worry and he looked downright sickly. No! He was not going to make me feel sorry for him.

"I didn't even think you would notice." I said coldly.

"Of course I noticed. How could I not?"

"I figured you would be too caught up in wolf stuff to pay attention to me." I said shooting daggers at him.

"Ness, you know that's not true." He said quietly.

"Whatever, Jake. I'm going to my house. I am quit of this place." I ran from the room and slammed open the bedroom door. When I heard Jake's muted footsteps coming down the hallway, I started moving at almost vamp speed. I started grabbing her things and shoving them in my bag. Jake arrived in the doorway just as I was zipping up the bag. I chose to do the smart thing and not look at him. So, instead of going out the front door, like I originally planned, I walked the few steps to the window and hopped lithely to the ground and took off running. Jake could catch her if he wanted to, but I knew if I could make it over the treaty line before he could get to me she would be safe. I heard the soft padded footfalls of Jacob following me, so I doubled my speed just in time to make it over the treaty line. Jake walked back into the woods for a moment and came back out, fully dressed, and in his human form.

Before he could speak I stopped him, my words cutting like a knife from the sharp tone in my voice.

"Go home Jacob Black. You are not welcome on vampire land."

* * *

The look on Jacob's face could have broken even the coldest heart. My eyes filled up with tears and all I could do was turn away.

"Bye Jake."

I walked into the house, tears streaming down my face, and straight into my mother's arms.

"Mom, can you block me please? I don't want dad and Jasper to have to deal with this." And instantly my mother's shield flew up around me.

"Thanks mom. Keep me covered okay? I am going to the cottage." I said through a hill of tears forming up in my eyes.

I darted from the room and through the snow-covered woods. I slammed into my room and collapsed onto my bed and released my tears as though a levy had just broken. A few hours later my dad came knocking on my door.

"Renesmee, I know you don't want to talk, but can I at least be here for you?" I nodded and my dad came and let me put my head in his lap, just like I was a child again.

We sat unaware for a few moments, but when my dad hissed under his breath, I heard it. And as his anger grew, it seemed like his gift had begun to work in reverse, showing me what he was thinking. I didn't remember these memories. I saw Jacob, his face looked dead, but still in pain. Hatred filled his eyes as he came down the stairs at Aunt Rose, who was holding something. I couldn't tell what it was. Then Jake's thoughts flowed freely. He was talking about killing the monster. He was looking directly at the thing Aunt Rose was holding. Then, as the blanket fell away, I saw what it was. It was me. He was talking about me. My heart crumpled and my world seemed to shatter into a million pieces.

More memories flowed from my father's mind, and this time, I knew he had no idea what he was sharing with me. It was my dad. He was talking about getting rid of "the fetus". Then, an image of my mother's bruised and bludgeoned stomach came into view, and I could hear my father's desperate thoughts. My dad was talking about me. He was talking about ripping me from my mother's womb and killing me. Didn't anyone care about me?

I pushed off of my dad's lap and he looked up at me in surprise. I flew around the room throwing as many things as I could into a bag.

"Where are you going Renesmee?"

"I don't think that is any of your business 'daddy dearest'" I said thundering out of the cottage. The last thing I had grabbed was all of the money I had saved up over the years. I would need it. I practically flew over the border line and onto First Beach. I was glad to be the fastest swimmer in the family, since I had no chance of outrunning them. I swam for hours just wandering. I could see the Australian coast coming into view. It was beautiful. I wouldn't be staying here long though. My family was tracking me. And so, I had to move fast. I hopped a plane in Melbourne to New York. The flight was excruciatingly long, and I had no idea where to go from here. So, I hopped one more plane from New York to Texas. I had no idea what was waiting for me there, but it had to be better than finding out your whole family hated you and even your boyfriend wanted you dead.

As the plane landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport, I looked out at the scenery that Humble, Texas had to offer me. It was not very promising. I rented a car under the false identity that my mother made me when I was very young. I was Vanessa Wolfe.

* * *

**_Hey guys!_**

**_I have missed you all! i needed a break. _**

**_I had alot of things going in in my life._**

**_All better now._**

**_How are we liking it?_**

**_Leave some reviews!_**

**_With love,_**

**_ edwardcullens_vampiregirl _**


	9. Crimes and Cute Strangers

I woke up and looked around the room at the sparse apartment furnishings. The apartment was little more than a kitchen and a bed, but I was on my own so I was satisfied. There were plenty of woods about 20 miles out from where I was staying, so hunting wouldn't be a problem. The more I thought about it, the more this town seemed almost perfect. Mom and dad would never even begin to guess that I was here; I don't think they would even expect Texas. I decided to enroll in high school here since I wasn't that keen on community college. Too small a setting.

I had my choice of two high schools, Atascocita High School or Humble High School. I chose Atascocita High School because it was closer to where I was living. Then, I gathered my things up into a small book bag and set off to the school. It was a beautiful school; it was modeled after Monticello. I parked in an empty student space and walked inside to the front desk. The main entrance to the building had a beautiful rotunda that opened up to the main hallway which they called "Main Street". I silently wondered where all the classrooms were. And as I came out of the rotunda, I saw the library. Not too flashy, but it seemed pretty well stocked and had a joined computer lab. It looked more like a college study center. I could tell where I would probably be spending most of my time. The map I had been given told me that the registrar's office was about 100 feet down the long hallway and on the right. I almost passed the door, but quickly stopped and knocked quietly.

Behind the desk was a sprightly woman who looked like she thoroughly enjoyed her job.

"How can I help you sweetie?" she asked, smiling at me.

"I am here to enroll. I am a sophomore."

"Okay, let me get you the paperwork." She turned to a file cabinet and dug around for a few moments before handing me a stack of paperwork.

"You can sit over there and fill them out." I smiled and nodded at her.

Once I was finished filling out the paperwork, she printed me a schedule. I had not anticipated which classes she had put me in. First period was World History with Hayley, male or female, I didn't know yet. Second period and my favorite subject was English II with Walsh. Third period was the class I would be most worried about. Ag science 101 with Howard. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from it. So naturally, I was worried. Fourth period, and a familiar subject, was Biology with Lennar. Fifth period was American Sign Language with Morrison. Sixth period was Geometry with Cooper. And finally, seventh period was Video Technology with Kendall.

I quickly memorized the map and put it away so that I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself. The school was divided into houses. Red, White, Blue, and Gold. My first class was in blue house, so I scurried off toward World History. It was fairly boring and I decided I would much rather have history lessons from Jasper. The sudden thoughts of my family made me sad and a little distraught. So, my mind wandered until the bell rang.

Second period was just below, down a flight of stairs into red house. I looked around and saw a pretty blonde woman at the door of my classroom. As I tried to walk past unnoticed, she stopped me. She introduced herself and told me a little bit about her. I could tell that I was going to like this class. She was energetic and sarcastic and really funny. Even though I liked her well enough, I would have loved her anyway, just because of the subject she taught. Is my blatant preference to English wrong? I don't think so!

Third period was interesting to say the least. It was in a random hallway across from the "blue house". Confusing much? My teacher, Mr. Howard, was a heavier-set man, with a kind face and an awesome attitude. He was funny and slightly corny. By the end of the class, he was my favorite teacher. And I could tell I was definitely on his favorite students list as well. He showed me a little bit of what they were working on and automatically drafted me to be on, what he called, the Chapter Conducting team. It was a team for the FFA organization which, as far as I could tell, was pretty awesome-sounding. Raising animals, being a leader, I could live with that!

Fourth, fifth, and sixth period all passed with no consequence to speak of and seventh was really no different. I could tell I was getting the "new kid" stare all day though. I hope things get better. The final bell rang and the hallway was flooded with teenagers. I was walking to the student space where I had parked my car when someone grabbed my arm. The hand was freezing and if I were human, would be crushing my bones. I whipped my head around and was assaulted by a pale white face and golden brown eyes. Before I could register what was going on, I was being practically dragged out a side door. Once we were out the door and a few thousand feet out of hearing range, he set me on my feet and spun me around.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He hissed at me.

"I am Renesmee, and I have run away" he gave me a funny look when I snorted at how that sounded. I sounded like a five year old.

"Okay, well you need to leave." I reared up at that. I hated being told what do.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but I am not going anywhere." I glared up at him and that turned out to be an obvious mistake. He was surprisingly cute. His light blonde hair was spiked and gelled into a cute-looking fohawk and his eyes were made even more outstanding by his beautiful, pale hair and his angular features.

"Please, I have gone unnoticed here for about twelve years. I have not run across one vampire since living here. And then you come along. And even though you smell funny, and your contacts are an amazing degree of real, you are in fact, a vampire." He said in a pleading voice. My poor brain was still analyzing what he had said. I was focused on other things. Like the slope of his cute, angular nose.

"Well, that's just it. I'm not." I said stupidly.

"Of course you are. I can see it."

"No. I am a hybrid. Half vamp and half human."

"Pardon me, but I don't quite understand that."

"Well, my dad got my mother pregnant while she was still human." I said, then I winced at the thought of my family. He was still looking at me like I was utterly crazy, so I asked him the obvious question.

"I can show you better than I could tell you. So may I?" I asked lifting my hand toward him a little.

"You're gifted?" He asked in a shocked voice.

"Yes, and so are both of my parents."

"Woah." The shock still had not worn off when I cautiously pressed my hand to his face. The memories that were not mine flowed silently from my hand, and I could see his eyes get wide as he watched.

When the memories stopped, I dropped my hand quickly from his face. It was far too tempting to leave it pressed there.

"That was astounding" he whispered.

"Not all that amazing. I stopped before the bad parts started."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. So vampires don't pass through here much?" He laughed a little.

"Not ever." I was a little shocked at that, but he knew much better than I did. How we went from hostile and tense to calm and free and easy was beyond me, but I liked it. Just then, Jake's face flashed into my mind and I automatically dropped my gaze to the ground, feeling guilty. Then I got angry. Why should I feel guilty? He is the one that did this. He had wanted me dead for heaven's sake! Why should I be the one to feel guilty when his crime against our relationship was much worse than mine?

When I looked up in an effort to be defiant to my own thoughts, I was standing alone. Where was he? I didn't even know his name. Had I imagined the whole thing? I bent down a bit, to see where his scent would lead, but found that there was no scent that lingered after him. How in the Hell did he do that? I shook my head in complete disbelief, trying to get it clear.

Walking to the car once more, I found myself frequently checking over my shoulder, and my eyes finding the spot where he had stood.

Once I was back at my apartment, I slid the key in the door, only to find it unlocked. I could have sworn I locked it this morning. I opened the door and screamed, dropping my stuff. There he was. Sitting on the couch like he lived here. He was smiling a cocky half-smile that was so damned adorable I could have melted. Maybe I had melted.

He got off the couch and came toward me slowly, cautiously, picking up my things off of the floor.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Frighten me? Not at all! Try scaring me so bad that my heart was not beating anymore" I huffed defensively.

"How did you get in here? Did you know that breaking and entering is a felony nowadays?" I asked angrily. I figured I would make it seem like I was intimidating, even though I never would have cared.

"It was open." He said looking altogether too innocent. And altogether too adorable.

"Oh." I said quietly; embarrassed. "What is your name, anyway? I figure if you are going to break into my apartment I should know." I asked, my anger slowly ebbing from my adrenaline-filled, shaking body.

"Kevin. Now, do you have a nickname, or do I continue calling you by your absurdly long name?" I felt like his name fit him well. After all, Kevin did mean beautiful or handsome. And he was definitely that.

"Nessie." I said, quitting my internal musings on his beauty.

"Nessie? Cute" he mused aloud. "So Nessie," he began, putting extra emphasis on my name. "what does your schedule look like?"

I sat on the couch and quietly gave him a basic rundown of my schedule. It was funny how time was passing; we sat there talking and conversing openly and effortlessly for hours. It was 11:30 before my body told me that it was bedtime. I had known that it would be coming soon. Out of nowhere, in the middle of a sentence, a yawn overcame me.

"I'm sorry." I said apologetically. "I have to get some sleep if I am going to be functioning tomorrow." I said laughing.

A puzzled look came over his face and suddenly I understood. He had no clue about anything concerning hybrids.

"I need sleep. That is my mother's human qualities coming out in me." I said, blushing. Damn my heat flooded face. And curse my mother for ever having given it to me.

"I see." He said laughing nonchalantly.

He stood up and headed for the door and then came the awkward "new friend" goodbye. It was inevitable in any new friendship. He laughed again and slipped out the door with a quiet "bye" as the door shut.

Once the door was shut, I smiled to myself. I kind of like him. This Kevin boy, with his cute, cocky half-smile.

* * *

**_Okay._**

**_So this chapter practically wrote itself._**

**_What are we thinking?_**

**_How do we like Kevin?_**

**_And I will have a link posted on my profile to give you a SLIGHT idea on what he looks like._**

**_I couln't find the perfect Kevin. _**

**_And trust me, I looked._**

**_But the Fo-hawk in the picture is exactly what his looks like._**

**_And yes, I realize that I said she was going by Vanessa Wolfe. _**

**_And she is._**

**_But I wanted him to know her real name so that their friendship starts out in honesty._**

**_It will make it a more intimate friendship down the road.  
_**

**_With love,_**

**_ edwardcullensvampiregirl_**


	10. Time Flies

I grimaced when I woke up to the early morning sun. After I woke up a little more, I smiled a bit. I might get to see Kevin. It had been a fairly blissful week. I saw Kevin almost everyday this week. It wasn't a daily thing, but I tried to flirt every time I saw him. I couldn't tell if he noticed at all though. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door and down the stairs to my apartment, looking through my bag for my keys when I ran into something cold and hard. I subsequently fell to the ground scattering my stuff. When I looked up to see what had made me fall, I was looking up into the eyes of the alabaster angel. His hair was gelled and perfect as always, and he was smiling down at me.

"You have a bad habit of making me drop my stuff" I said, laughing as he helped me up. His smug smile never left his lips while he was helping me up and getting my stuff. The look in his eyes was screaming of pent up laughter.

"So, what made you decide to come here this morning?" I asked casually.

"I figured we could run to school together." He said, pushing a stray curl behind my ear.

"Oh. Right. That makes sense." I said shoving my keys back into my purse.

"Race ya', Nessie" he yelled, taking off into the woods. I was struggling to keep up with him. He was fast. Even faster than my dad. Grinning, I doubled my speed, touching the door handle just nano-seconds before he did. Kevin, being the gentleman that I didn't know he was, walked me to my first class. At lunch, I didn't have to sit alone because he had skipped his 5th period class just for me. I was feeling pretty giddy, when I overheard some of the conversations going on around me. One girl from my English class was talking to a group of scowling girls.

_"It's bad enough that she is obscenely smart and gets all the praise from the teachers, but she also gets the hottest guy in the whole freaking world? That's not fair! He was starting to look my way before SHE got here."_

All the other girls nodded in agreement and he just smiled at me and whispered a quick: watch this into my ear. He slid out of his jacket and put it around my shoulders and I slid my arms through it. He got up and helped me out of the chair, then we walked away with his arm around my shoulders our bodies barely touching. We both laughed at the angry hisses that we heard from behind us.

A few weeks later, we decided that skipping class one day sounded like a great idea, so we skipped and headed to the mall. There wasn't much to say for Deerbrook mall except that it was homey. It seemed to bring out the genuine camaraderie between Kevin and I. We laughed and talked for what seemed like hours; stopping off at Barnes and Noble to discuss the innate possibility of us liking the same literature. He loved all the books that I loved. Austen, Bronte, Rivers, Shakespeare. It truly was like looking into a mirrored version of myself; obviously not the outer stuff, but when the inner working of the other's mind was revealed, and they turned out so similar, it was scary.

It turned out that we had similar musical tastes and both loved Story of the Year. We both listened to a little bit of everything; from country, rap, and rock, to classical and scream-o. He and I were almost like one person for those few hours. We walked and talked like the world was going to end and took no notice of anyone else. We could have been on a live stage and I wouldn't have noticed anything but him.

As Kevin and I had gotten closer over the last few weeks, I couldn't help but thinking about Jacob. I tried to think of when he and I had ever just talked like this, and honestly, the more I thought of it, the more I wondered when Jake and I had fallen in love. All I could remember was him always being there. Constantly worrying over me and babying me. It was so bothersome. He felt more like a dad the more I thought about it. I just hated always having him there to catch me. Sometimes I wanted to fall, I needed that much! I hadn't been able to truly live. We had never really even dated. Our relationship was more of a mutual understanding as opposed to a real dating relationship. It was just an understood thing that had always been and had felt like it always would be. But that has changed somehow because I can see what I was missing. I was missing a life and a place that wasn't safe from everything. A place where I could fail and fall. A boy who I could fall for, instead of just being.

It was strange though; Kevin and I had this connection that I couldn't quite explain. Part of me thought that our connection was just the intrigue of being around someone that I knew so little about. In my family, everyone I had ever been around I had known since I was a baby, or was someone that my parents trusted. Anytime a wayward nomad would come traveling through, they would be careful about letting them pass through our territory. My parents had always told me that you couldn't be too careful what with the Volturi being all over the place. It never really made a whole lot of sense to me about them being so cautious. Sure there were people like the Volturi, but then there were people like Kevin; sweet, a gentleman, and totally hot. I blushed profusely and it didn't escape Kevin's notice.

"That is my favorite part." He said brushing a finger down my face.

"What do you mean," I asked; confused.

"The blushing. I have never seen a vampire blush, and yet you can because of your human mother. It's just so interesting."

"It's not all that it's cracked up to be," I said laughing. Just then, a police officer walked up to us.

"Excuse me, but the mall is closing, so it is time for you two to leave."

"Thank you," Kevin said smoothly, turning toward the nearest exit. We walked out of the mall laughing.

"I can't believe that we just spent all day at the mall."

"And why not?" Kevin asked with genuine sincerity.

"Because it flew by so fast." I laughed.

"Come on goofball. It's time to get you home. We should probably go to school tomorrow." Kevin said grabbing my hand.

As we ran up the stairs to my apartment, I caught a whiff of someone. Not just any someone either. I couldn't smell Kevin and I knew my own scent, so it wasn't me. I searched through my memories and found out exactly whose scent that was. Mom and Dad! Crap! Kevin felt me freeze and turned around to look at me with a questioning look in his eyes.

"My parents are here." I whispered.

"What? I thought you said that they couldn't find you."

"I didn't know that they could!"

"Kevin, you have to go. They don't trust just anyone, and if they find out about you, then you might be ashen by tomorrow." He just looked at me and sighed.

"I guess it is safe to say that I probably won't see you at school tomorrow."

"You will if I have anything to say about it."

"Bye Renee." He leaned in and timidly pressed his lips to my cheek, then smiled at me and turned away without another word. The shock was overwhelming and made my knees weak. He kissed me! Wow. That was so different than any kisses that I was used to. I looked back after him with a longing glance and wished that this was not happening. I had to move. They were waiting for me. My mind was racing as I climbed the stairs; each step sounding like it was being amplified by a loud speaker.

I put my key in the door and before I could even turn it, the door flew open and all I could see was my father's furious face. I could see the worry there too, but it was far outweighed. Then I saw my mother sitting on the couch with a blank expression. My dad moved out of the way just enough for me to push past him. I tried to clear my mind and go into my meditation state, but not even that could keep my thoughts clear. My mind kept going to what my parents were going to say, and what I might be able to say back.

* * *

_**Okay, so I re-uploaded this chapter.**_

_**Why?**_

_**Because I added stuff. **_

_**Check it out. :)**_

_**It makes things more interesting and also helps with the story flow issue. :)**_

_**I suggest re-reading this before you read the new chapter.**_

_**with love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl**_


	11. Hostile Reunions

The door slammed and I heard the mortar around the hinges crumble and in an instant my father's furious face was in front of me.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen." My name was all dad had to say; it was more than enough to convey his current state of mind. But, looking into my father's eyes made all of those weeks of longing come back with a vengeance. All those weeks of missing my family and my parents hit me hard and fast and it was almost crippling.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him and giving him a huge hug. You could tell he was puzzled and shell-shocked by my reaction, but the anger didn't fade. When I pulled away I looked back at him, and I could see that it had been over a month since he had hunted, and dad could be dangerous and unpredictable in moments like this. I mean, I don't think he would ever hurt me, but it still scared me. Then my head turned to my mom whose head was in her hands with worried relief. I could tell that it had been awhile since she had hunted too. Great. Two thirsty, angry, protective, pissed off vampire parents are exactly what I need. They both looked rugged, like they had been traveling for quite a while. Looking for me no doubt. How had they found me? I made no effort to contact anyone from home and didn't use anything but cash.

"H-How did you find me?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Your mother searched for you using your Vanessa Wolfe information and found that you enrolled your self here." He said curtly. He was so mad he could have been shaking.

I tried to back away slowly and retreat off my balcony but dad was too fast for me.

"You're not going to get out of this Renesmee," My dad said through clenched teeth.

"Why did you run?" Came my mother's quiet voice from behind him.

"That is my business Mom." I said in a harsh tone.

"Just tell me why. You owe us that."

"I owe you people nothing. Why should I owe something to someone who doesn't care about me?" As the words fell out of my mouth, my mind went directly to Jake. I hadn't seen him yet. Is he here? What if he is? What will I say to him? Should I ignore him? My mom's voice interrupted my silent panic.

"What makes you think that Renesmee?"

"Again, MY BUSINESS" I shouted as my panic grew. Is he going to be here or not? I can't see him. I don't want to. Instead of showing my parents what I was thinking or feeling, I went to my happy, meditative state. In my head I saw the Barnes and Noble inside Deerbrook Mall. Walking with someone, but I kept who it was hidden. When I opened my eyes I saw the confused look on my dad's face.

"Stop invading my head and you wouldn't be confused dad! Don't you get it? I am not the same person anymore. I am not the little girl that you need to protect! I'm not the little girl that will follow you blindly anymore!" I almost blurted out that I knew about the time when my mom first got pregnant, but I kept my mouth shut.

"What are you talking about Renesmee? All we have ever done was try to keep you safe. What with the whole Volturi thing. We thought you understood." My dad said trying to reason with me like I was a child.

"I know that, but they turned out not to be a threat. They are just curious about me is all."

Dad saw that I was going to continue to be bull-headed about this and so he switched gears.

"What made you come here? What have you been doing here all this time? Why didn't you call us and at least let us know you were safe?" The last question spoke of the volumes of worry that my family had encountered on my behalf.

"Well, I came here because I figured you would never think about Texas. And I have been going to school, just like I would have in Forks. And I didn't call because I knew that you would try to convince me to come home, and I couldn't have that." I knew that I was avoiding the questions. Though my answers were truthful, I knew that those were not the answers that they wanted. And I knew all too well what they meant when they asked. But I couldn't afford to be honestly truthful.

"And why not?" My mother asked explosively flying off the couch and coming to stand in front of me.

"Just because." I said quietly. "It's not important."

Mom grabbed my arms, gripping them tightly.

"It is important." She said in a life or death tone. In those three words I could see that I caused her more pain than I would ever know. I pulled away and she watched me walk toward the window. I tried sliding the window open and then I heard my dad's voice in my ear behind me: "don't even think about it." Damn. Plan foiled. Then my father's wispy footsteps stalked back over to the couch. My mom sat down beside him, waiting for me to answer their questions. Just then a beautiful face appeared before me. Kevin. I tried to keep my mind hidden. Time to get out of here.

"Well, I had better get going. Please be gone when I get back. I have told you all I have to say."

"You really think you are getting off the hook that easy?" My father's doubtful face questioned.

"Yes!" I shouted. My dad looked at me doubtfully.

" No... I guess I had hoped, but I didn't actually believe it." I said softly, my eyes falling to the floor.

"Tell us why you ran away."

"No!"

"Please! Do you realize what you have done to this family? To your Aunt Alice, Aunt Rose, Emmett, Jasper, your mother and I, and to Jacob?" The mention of Jacob practically broke my heart all over again but I didn't let it show. Instead I retorted in anger.

"I didn't think any of you would care considering-" I stopped myself before I could finish that sentence. It was getting harder and harder to avoid the issue.

"Considering what Renesmee?"

"FINE! You want to know why I ran? I ran away because none of you wanted me! Jake wanted to kill me! And as if that's not bad enough, my own dad wanted me torn from my mother's womb, ripped apart and burnt! Is that reason enough for you?" I screamed, tears falling from my eyes. They were both shocked. They were definitely not expecting that, but neither of them spoke one word of denial. So it was true! I slammed out of my apartment. When I started down the stairs I ran into something cold and solid. Crap. I was caught. I looked up and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kevin" I said, not trying to hide the happiness in my voice.

"I didn't want to leave because I was afraid you might not be here tomorrow." He said sheepishly.

"I probably wouldn't have been. My parent's minds are pretty set. Speaking of which, we had better go before they unfreeze."

"What do you mean?"

"I said some pretty harsh things to them, and so they are kind of trying to process it."

"Oh." He said thinking for a moment.

"Let's go then Renee" I smiled at the nickname that I had grown accustomed to over the weeks. It was funny though; Kevin gave it to me because he wanted to be different. He wanted to call me something totally new that no one had ever called me before. Renee was his. And I was glad to be Renee. He grabbed my hand and we ran. Ran as fast as we could, masking our scent along the way.

When we came to some mountains, we stopped because I needed a serious rest. So, Kevin sank to the ground and let me put my head in his lap. Hours later, I awoke to a beautiful sunrise peaking over the horizon and Kevin looking down at me, brushing my curls out of my face gently.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty." Kevin said smiling.

"What time is it?"

"About 6 a.m."

"Should we get going?" I asked, waking up a little more.

"I think we could stay a bit longer." He whispered in my ear, pulling me back into him and wrapping his arms around me, watching the sunrise.

I loved being with him like this. Our thoughts always free flowing and simplistic. We didn't need the extra help of my gift because all I had to do was think it and he knew, and because of the way my gift worked in reverse, I knew what he was thinking too. As day broke over the mountaintops I smiled and got up, brushing off before turning around to find Kevin standing far away from me; a look on his face that spoke of fear and hatred at the same time. I was hurt for a moment until I realized that he wasn't looking at me. He was looking off into the foliage. About the time I realized that there was someone else here, I felt hot breath on my shoulder. Damn! I spun around and backed up to where Kevin was standing. But I couldn't focus on Kevin. All I could see was the giant russet wolf walking towards me, slowly and deliberately. Crap! I'm not ready for this! I thought I would never have to face him again. So what am I going to say to him? Should I run? No, be strong Renesmee. Face him once and for all.

* * *

When Jake phased, I was totally unprepared. My head and heart were racing as he continued to step toward me. I kept my eyes trained on his nose. Not in his eyes because one look into their depths and I would lose my resolve. Not his body because one eyeful and my attraction for him would weigh out over everything else. His nose. He hadn't uttered a word yet and already I knew that it would be so hard to resist him. Just then I heard Kevin's voice from behind me.

"Let's go Renee! Why are you just standing there? He is might kill us or something."

"No, it's okay Kevin. Jake only kills babies." I said, my harsh words cutting deep. Jake's face looked withdrawn for a moment then he quickly recovered.

"How did you find out about that?" Jake asked me, obviously hurting. Jake's voice resonated in my ears and reminded me that I had missed him too, not just my family. But I couldn't let that distract me. I was hurting him. I never thought that was possible. Wait! He hurt me too. Let me not forget that part. As much as I wanted for the fairytale of my life to be true and real, it wasn't and I couldn't afford to forget that.

"You know this… thing?" Kevin asked, stunned.

"Yes she knows me. Now mind your own business and run along." I answered Kevin in my head, but he would never hear one word of this uttered from my lips. Yes I know him. He is the man I love and will love until the day I die. The man that doesn't love me back. The man that tried to kill me. The man that has lied to me my whole life. The more I thought, the more my anger grew and expanded and I had to speak.

"Don't you tell him what to do Jacob Black! Mind YOUR own business!" I screamed to his nose. Neither his eyes nor his body. His nose. Damn, this was harder than I thought.

"You are my business."

"Not anymore. And I haven't been ever since I found out exactly how much you 'loved' me."

"I didn't know what I was doing! You have to understand! It's a long story Ness."

" I do understand Jacob. I understand perfectly. Your thoughts seem to tell a different story Jake; you knew what you were doing. You were thinking perfectly clear and you even calculated your own death into the equation."

"How did you find out about that?" He asked again.

"Let's just say that dad slipped up with his thoughts. And speaking of my father, it seems that you two were both on the same team where the 'Kill Renesmee' plan was concerned."

"Nessie, it wasn't like that!"

"Then what was it like Jake? Please enlighten me! Was I a whole meal, or was I only big enough to be dessert?"

"Damn it Renesmee! How can you honestly believe that? After all these years. After all the love that has passed between us." As he spoke those words all I wanted to do was forgive him, go into his arms, lose myself in his embrace, and pretend as if nothing had happened, but I couldn't do that. I would always wonder. I have to do this now.

"What love Jake? You were all I had and so I never knew any different. I didn't get a choice in what I wanted! You and my family chose for me! Did anyone ever think about what I wanted instead of your false ideas of 'safe'? And I obviously wasn't safe even with you and my family there. It seems that you people were a bigger threat than anyone!" I hadn't realized how close I had gotten to him while I was yelling. I only noticed when his nose was before me and I had shoved his chest as I finished my rant. He stumbled back a few steps and I realized that he was shaking. He was close to phasing. Only a few more minuets of this and he would phase and have to calm down before talking more. Which would give Kevin and I time to run. It was only then that I realized that he might not be alone. My parents were probably waiting in the wings. Crap. I would deal with that when I came to it. I got my mind ready, refocused, looked back into Jake's nose and went in for another round.

"Well, now that I know, you don't have to pretend to love me anymore. You should be able to finish what you started. Come one Jake! Finish me off. Rip me out of Auntie Rose's arms like you want to do. Tear me apart piece by piece." I launched my body forward toward him and stopped about a foot away, pushing his chest again.

"Do it Jake! Finish it! You know you want to!"

"No! It wasn't like that!" Jake shouted, fighting the inevitable shaking that was plaguing him.

"Renee what are you doing? Stop!" I wanted to answer Kevin, but I couldn't lose my momentum. So, I ignored him.

"Well Jake? What is stopping you? Or did you want to wait until after the honeymoon was over so that you got everything you could out of me before you killed me?" That did it. As tremors began to run down Jake's spine and he could no longer control himself, the wolf came ripping out of him. I backed up as quickly as I could before Jake was finished phasing, remembering Emily. I grabbed Kevin's hand and practically drug him along with me as I ran as far as I could from Jake and those mountains.

* * *

_**Okay, so don't kill me! **_

_**The story is FAR from over yet, so don't stop reading.**_

_**I think that the next chapter should write itself, so I should be updating soon. :)**_

_**Thank you to all the people who actually read this. **_

_**You guys make my day.**_

_**And just a sidenote, I LOVE REVIEWS! :D**_

_**with love,**_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl**_


	12. Hit the Ground Running

"Where are we going to go Kevin?" I asked while we were running.

"What _was_ that?" He asked me.

"That was just Jake. Now answer my question. There is no telling where all my family is hiding. I am assuming that since my parents didn't nab me once we got away from Jacob that they were not with him. Which means that they are split up which also means that they are everywhere. And no doubt the wolves are helping too."

"Wolves? As in werewolves?"

"Yeah. What other kind of wolves are there?" I asked questioningly. "Oh. They are shape shifters, not full on werewolves." I didn't realize what I said until after I said it.

"How do you know them?"

"They are old friends of my family." Kevin no doubt noticed that I had only half-answered his question about Jacob.

"So who was the wolf that I just had the displeasure of meeting?"

"I told you. Jake." I said, my eyes falling to the floor.

"No. I meant who is he to you." Kevin asked sternly, giving me a knowing look.

I knew he knew. He just wanted me to say it, and so, defeated, I spoke.

"My ex," I mumbled under my breath. Kevin simply nodded as he processed.

"It's over Kevin I swear!" I said desperately, trying to make him understand.

"I believe you, but in his mind it is still very much alive." I knew that much. It would always be alive for Jake because of the imprint. He would always have that tie to me, but what really mattered was that my tie to him was broken.

"That doesn't matter to me Kevin. All I care about is going far away with you." I said, putting my hands in his.

"Then let's get going. I know one place they won't think to look. And I have a friend there." After we swam a little while, I could see the outskirts of Italy. I was a little worried about going into Volturi territory, but then I remembered Aro and I knew that he would help me if anything went awry. When we arrived in Volterra we went directly into the lobby and I saw Gianna pale skinned and red-eyed in a hooded cloak. I remembered seeing her as a human that worked in the lobby from my mom's memory. I shivered as I pictured myself in that robe very soon. Kevin's hand squeezed mine gently as I followed closely behind him, walking toward my new future. As the lobby disappeared behind me I shivered when the temperature dropped and the tunnels opened up before me.

Walking through the tunnels I found myself questioning this decision. Was it a good idea to come to the Volturi? What was I saying? Of course it was!

Finally, I felt the tunnels get warmer and then they opened up into a room of ancient décor and I could sense the tension as Kevin and I walked into the room. My feelings must have translated to Kevin because he squeezed my hand reassuringly and we continued to walk until we were past Alec and Jane and straight to Aro. I could feel the probing glares when Aro stood to greet me and wrapped his arms around me in a fatherly embrace.

"Renesmee. So nice to see you! To what do we owe this great pleasure?" At that comment Jane snorted under her breath and earned a swift glare from Aro.

"I came to see if that offer to join the guard was still open? For both my friend, and I."

"You know that it will always be open at your leisure. Does your friend have any special talents that we should know about?"

"Kevin is fast, much faster than my father, and also, if you noticed, he doesn't carry a scent. Impossible to track. I don't know how much further that talent stretches as we haven't practiced with it, but very unique to say the least."

"Indeed!" Aro exclaimed, as he strode over to Kevin and reached his hand out toward him.

"May I?" He asked politely. Kevin merely nodded and reached his hand out and allowed Aro into the depths of this thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, Aro lifted his head and smiled.

"Marvelous!" He turned his head slightly and beckoned for his once favorite. "Jane!"

"Yes, master?" She asked tentatively, trying to seem every bit as confident as she had when we walked in.

"Go and get these two fine young ones robes. Training robes, and escort them to the practice grounds." Jane seemed utterly stunned that she was the one getting stuck with helping us and not by Aro's side as she had been before. So she didn't say another word to Aro, but hissed at Kevin and I to follow her.

As we were walking I could feel the temperatures get cooler and cooler as we walked through the confusing maze of the tunnels. When we finally got to the robe room the temperature in the tunnels had dropped so far that I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. As we entered the small room, Jane threw our robes as us from across a rack and hissed at us.

"Put them on. Now."

Once I had my robe on I felt instantly better. Quickly thereafter, my teeth ceased to chatter and my body temperature was on the rise again. We weaved our way back through the tunnels and took a few different turns and finally came to a place that looked to be an ancient battleground. The ground, though it was sand and dust was colored like a chessboard and several people were here. Just then, a beautiful man with a kind face and a huge stature appeared before us.

"My name is Julian." His voice was deep and spoke of volumes of power etched into every fiber of his being. The resonance of it made your knees weak. He had to be several thousand years old and his papery skin looked much like Aro's.

"I am the training teacher for young gifts like yours to help them grow and expand and to teach you how to put them to use for your spot in the guard. Aro has asked for me specifically to teach the two of you. He must see great talent in your two young minds. I haven't been asked to teach anyone since Alec and Jane here. You two are in for a treat."

At the mention of Jane and her brother, she let out a guttural snarl that was barely audible to my own ears and so I wondered if I had made it up. But when I saw the disapproving look that Julian gave her, I knew I hadn't imagined it. And even though her hiss sent a tremor down my spine, I laughed quietly to myself. I knew it wasn't prudent to have enemies this early on in the game, but I couldn't help but find the whole situation utterly funny. I was the new queen bee. The new Jane. And she couldn't stand the thought of being replaced. Well, as long as it was happening, I might as well milk it for all that it's worth. So, I put on a sweet, innocent, smile and turned to Jane, looked her directly in the eyes and told her very politely that she was dismissed.

"You can go now Jane. I am very eager to start my training so that I can be ready to join the regular guard soon." Standing next to Aro where your place used to be. And even though my mouth didn't say it, she and I both knew what I said behind my smile. Somewhere deep inside of myself, I could feel the cold shutter that came when I realized that this is not who I am. I am not that malicious person that enjoys other people's pain… It bothered me to some extent to feel that in myself. To see that this place was already changing me scared me a little bit. But, I was not about to allow that to show in my demeanor or my eyes. Jane hissed under her breath as she turned away, shooting daggers at me as she walked off. When I turned back to Kevin and Julian I saw Kevin's brows rise in a questioning fashion. He obviously saw something that was unusual come across my face. I hadn't made a particular face that I could think of. Except one of satisfaction…? Maybe too much satisfaction? That had to be it.

"Well, let's get you two settled into a room and then we can start your training. Renesmee, I am terribly sorry but for tonight you won't have a bed. We have never had to furnish one before so we will order it and it will arrive tomorrow."

"That's fine Julian. I didn't really expect one. I know that I am kind of a pioneer in that way." I stated, laughing.

We walked across the training ground to the opposite side that we had come in and through an open hallway that led to a type of common room. The rooms were off to the left and the right and I automatically panicked.

"Do you separate guys and girls?" I asked tentatively.

Julian responded with a hearty laugh before replying "No. We are not foolish enough to think that you wouldn't do something simply because we separate you. You two will room together I assume?"

"Yes." Kevin and I both answered. It was going to be my first night here and I needed him with me to feel safe and comforted. And as my mind wandered, I found myself picturing Jake holding me instead of Kevin. This was going to be very difficult.

We come to the end of the long hall and turn to the door on the right. Room 419. The heavy ornate door was made in chestnut wood that looked at least 100 years old. The antiquated doorknob was decorated with tiny winding ribbons and flares of color that made even the doorknob simply stunning. The door opened and I saw a beautiful canopy bed that was like 2 king-sized beds had been put together, the canopy falling elegantly to the floor and out at least a foot on each side. The room was about the size of the bottom floor of my house back in Forks. The paint on the walls was a golden yellow that went well with all of the gold furnishings around the room, including, but not limited to the bed frame. There were beautiful wingback chairs that were set in a golden-cream color. Across the room was another door that led to the bathroom and the closet, which were almost the same size as the bedroom. There was a beautiful well-stocked bookshelf that held all of the classics.

"I think that you will find everything that you are looking for. There is a credit card of the dresser over there. It is limitless, so feel free to shop to your heart's content to fill that closet of yours. My heart did leaps and bounds and I reached for my cell phone to call Aunt Alice when the phone fell from my hand. I couldn't call her. The frown on my face was evident.

"Kevin, you can go ahead without me. I am suddenly not feeling very well."

"Are you sure?" He asked cautiously. "I can stay if you would like."

"No." I replied a little too quickly. "Just go ahead and I will catch up in a bit."

"Okay." Kevin said in a concerned tone. However, he didn't push it and grabbed the card and walked very slowly out of the room.

As he left the room, and I was found alone, I went and laid down on the enormous bed. And only when I felt the wet-hot tears flowing freely down my cheeks and off my chin did I realize I was crying. I was crying for everything. For the life and the love that I had lost, as well as each and every member of my family along the way. I was simply a fool to think that I was actually okay. I missed them all terribly. My loving and caring mother who always loved me from the very beginning. My beautiful, peppy, shop-happy Aunt Alice who did everything she could to make me feel normal while I was growing up. My stunning, often emotionally distant Auntie Rose who cared for me and nurtured me when my mom couldn't and gave me everything that my mom and dad wouldn't. My Uncle Jazz who could make me feel better by just standing close to me and giving me the emotional support that I needed to be the outcast in my family. Uncle Em. What is there to say? He was my teddy bear and my protector. He held me every time that Jake and I fought and defended me when I didn't want to talk to or about Jacob. Sometimes temporarily losing a limb in the process. My dad. The man that tucked me into bed every night, and who played me my lullaby until my eyes closed and I fell in to a deep sleep. The one who had helped me in my adventure from my mom's womb and into the world and who still cared about me even after I had almost killed her. My heart sank. And My Jacob. The strong, sensitive, handsome, over-protective wolf that I loved with all my heart and always had. And always will.

I had no idea how long I had sat there and just cried and remembered every little memory; replaying them over and over in my head like old home movies that you never get tired of. But how on Earth could I go back now? I had made a commitment to the Volturi already, and to Kevin. I had already challenged Jane's authority and stepping down now could pose a dangerous problem later. I would have to stay. Push down all the memories of my family and just keep going as if nothing is wrong. Much easier said than done.

Before I realized what happened I woke up to Kevin walking in the door. He smiled at me and went to put his bags away in the closet.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, snaking an arm around me.

"I'm feeling much better now." I said softly as I shrugged his arm off.

"Renee-" He began, just before I cut him off.

"It's Nessie. Please don't call me Renee. That isn't my name or even my nickname." I snapped.

He withdrew from me with a taut expression.

"I didn't know that my nickname for you bothered you so much." He paused for a moment. "Let's talk about what is really going on here Ren—Nessie."

"Nothing is going on! I don't want to talk about it!" I yelled, getting off the bed and striding to the door. Just then I felt Kevin's cold hand grab my arm firmly.

"Which one is it? Nothing is wrong or you don't wanna talk about it?" You could see him trying to reign in his frustration.

"It's both. I don't wanna talk about how nothing is wrong with me. I didn't feel well. End of story." I jerked my arm from his grasp and flew out the door and down the hall, passing a startled-looking Julian, and down the tunnels, around to the main portion of the castle where I knew Aro would be.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Hey guys. :) I am superrrrrr excited to be writing again!**_

_**I love this chapter and there are big ideas coming soon!**_

_**Also, I would like to thank you all for putting up with me for as long as you have. :)**_

_**with love, **_

_** edwardcullensvampiregirl :)**_


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